Acknowledgments

When we wrote the acknowledgments for the first edition of How to Watch Television, we began by thanking the forty busy academics who eagerly jumped onboard for their commitment to improving media studies pedagogy, and their willingness to commit to a shared approach to writing and a tight deadline. Let us again thank those original contributors, even as we welcome and thank the twenty-two new contributors to this second edition. We again extend our utmost gratitude for delivering such excellent work with minimal pestering.

Thank you to Eric Zinner, Dolma Ombadykow, and the rest of New York University Press’s staff for their continued commitment to this project. This is a second edition we can all be very proud of.

ETHAN

As I wrote in the first edition, I’ve wanted to make a book like How to Watch Television since working as a teaching assistant at USC, and it was gratifying when so many scholars joined the project. It has been even better to see the first edition embraced by so many in the field. Thank you to everyone who uses this book to support their teaching! Again, many thanks to Jason for all his hard work. We have relied upon one another to bring this second edition to life possibly even more than we did the first go-round.

Biggest thanks to my wife and primary TV-watching partner, Maria, and our three kids (who are now making steady progress toward adulthood) Jenna, Dax, and Mia. You all make me feel lucky and proud every day.

JASON

I owe many thanks to Ethan for first devising the idea for this book and approaching me to contribute an essay—and then welcoming me as a co-editor in what has turned out to be a greatly rewarding collaborative process, now over many years and two editions! It’s rare to work so closely with someone where we agree on almost every decision throughout, and thus I have been spoiled for future collaborations.

As always, I could not have accomplished my work without the love and support of my partner Ruth, and my children, Greta, Anya, and Walter, for everything they have taught me.